North Texas’ defense and weather upset UTEP Sale in 31-13 fashion.

Saturday night is set to be a party in El Paso. The West Texas city was ready to welcome an ultra-electric atmosphere for college football’s opening “Week 0,” the first time the Sun Bowl was sold out since 2008.

But at 7:00pm local opening time, the place was empty. Lightning struck first, creating a wide gap where he stood. As the storm subsides, a distinct electrical surge is expected at the scene. But the North Texas defense silenced the adoring crowd in orange to prevent UTEP’s historic sellout from becoming the most raucous performance in El Paso.

When the stadium cleared for the second time Saturday night, it wasn’t because of lightning, but because North Texas beat the home team 31-13 to open conference play.

Well-traveled second-year defensive coordinator Phil Bennett oversaw a significant turnaround last season, as Green averaged 35 points per game in the first seven contests and 18.7 in the last six. That late-season defense continued into 2022 as North Texas shut out UTEP all night, shutting out the Miners in the second half.

Photo by Matthew Pearce/Getty Images via Icon Sports Wire

Led by first-team All-C-USA linebacker KD Davis, the Green’s middle-of-the-pack defense had answers for everything UTEP head coach Dana Dimmel threw at the offense. They constantly put pressure on the backfield, preventing any ball carrier from finishing the night with 40 rushing yards, forcing incompletions and errant throws. North Texas dominated the scrimmage, forcing UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison to move around the pocket.

Hardison attempted countless deep shots to spark UTEP’s offense. While Hardison found early success – connecting on four passes of 25+ yards on his first three drives – the tail end of the downfield finally piled up on the grass and drops from the receiving corps began to hurt UTEP. Overall, Hardison completed 21-of-48 attempts, generating 293 yards and one touchdown.

The third-year starting quarterback’s lone touchdown was a 32-yard delivery to new No. 1 option Tyrin Smith, who is poised to expand his role in the offense after the departure of 1,300-yard receiver Jacob Cowing. Smith collected 127 yards and seven touchdowns and proved his value as a deep threat. Reynaldo Flores tallied Hardison’s most completions, adding eight catches and 122 yards to UTEP’s offensive output.

Because of Smith’s early success, UTEP grabbed a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, and North Texas responded quickly to regain the advantage at 10-7. But with two minutes left in halftime, North Texas running back Oscar Adaway waltzed into the end zone on an 8-yard touchdown run and scored his first score since missing last year with an ACL injury. Those points from the high school gave North Texas an insurmountable lead.

The Mean Green put the framework to victory in the second half, where the Miners won 17-0. On the first possession of the third quarter, quarterback Austin Awn completed a float pass to running back Isaiah Johnson to open the gap to 21-13. The momentum created by that touchdown quickly translated to the defense, which forced the only turnover of the game on UTEP’s next drive. Pointing to the starting lane, Awn fired his third and final touchdown pass of the night, throwing the Miners into the rearview mirror as he held tight end Jake Roberts.

Roberts only caught 11 passes in 13 games last year, but the 6’5″ sophomore tight end looks poised to play a big role in the North Texas 2022 offense. He led all Green players with four receptions and a surprising matchup with UTEP strong safety Kobe Hylton. He provided solid blocking. Another standout in the North Texas offense was Ayo Addey, who served as the workhorse of the team’s rotating running backs in rushing (17) and yards (80).

The Week 0 conference showdown has conference title implications for the two Lone Star State programs in 2021. With the revamped C-USA reduced to 11 teams, divisions were eliminated and the two best conference records earned invitations. Championship game Friday, December 2

North Texas already has a head start on that goal, as head coach Seth Littrell picked up her first win in a C-USA opener since 2019. UTEP, one of the best surprise stories from a year ago, faces an even more uphill battle to win the game. title game, and the Miners cruise to an 0-1 conference record until they next face their C-USA opponent on Oct. 1 in Charlotte.